SÍM

Imagine Visionary Animals
Erla S. Haraldsdóttir

October 16, 2025 – February 15, 2026

Origins Centre Museum, Johannesburg
The Origins Centre
Wits University
1 Jan Smuts Avenue
Braamfontein 2000
Johannesburg
South Africa

https://www.wits.ac.za/origins/
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Curated by Jonatan Habib Engqvist

The Origins Centre is excited to present a site-responsive temporary exhibition with Berlin
and Johannesburg-based Icelandic artist Erla S. Haraldsdóttir. The exhibition is on the one
hand informed by the hues of materials composing the physical exhibition space of the new
wing, and on the other hand underscoring the museum’s core themes – cave paintings and
rock engravings.

“The paintings explore the interplay between space and light—specifically how natural light
interacts with the surfaces of rocks. This shifting light mirrors our constant movement through
space as the Earth orbits the sun, continuously altering the colours and illumination we
perceive in a painting” Haraldsdóttir says.

This new body of work departs from cave formations. The artist travelled to the Cederberg
Mountains in Western Cape. Newly discovered rock art sites have informed research and
motifs. By balancing photorealist and symbolic realism Haraldsdóttir returns to her
longstanding investigations into how images can serve as portals – connecting cultural
symbols, archetypes, and lived experience across time and place. Through this distinct form
of ocular magical realism, the exhibition acknowledges stone surfaces as humankind’s
original canvas through an interplay of colour, transparency, light, reflection, and spatial
perception. A publication will also be produced during the exhibition period.

Erla S. Haraldsdóttir is a multidisciplinary visual artist whose work investigates the
boundaries between personal memory, ancestral narrative, and collective myth. Using
painting, drawing, printmaking, and collage, Haraldsdóttir draws on diverse visual languages
—combining elements of figurative painting with experimental processes, often shaped by
site, context, or archival material. Her practice frequently explores the transformative
potential of colour and light, and the interplay between materiality and storytelling. Her work
has been exhibited widely, including at Moderna Museet (Stockholm), Kalmar
Konstmuseum, Berlinische Galerie, Reykjavik Art Museum, Museum of Nanning,
Guangxi, China and Turbine Art Fair (Johannesburg). Her work is represented by
public and private collections, and she has participated in international residencies such
as Künstlerhaus Bethanien (Berlin), Cité des Arts (Paris), and The Bag Factory
(Johannesburg). She lives and works in Berlin and Johannesburg.

The Wits Origins Centre is dedicated to exploring and celebrating the history, creativity and
innovation of modern humankind. The museum contains evidence of ancient stone tools,
artefacts of symbolic and spiritual significance, and examples of southern Africa’s visually
striking rock art forms. It also captures the cultural and spiritual practices of indigenous
communities who created the art, the impact of the colonial front and highlights examples of
resistence. Together with the Rock Art Research Institute (RARI), the Origins Centre curates
an extensive collection of rock art, affording visitors the opportunity to view some of the
richest visual heritage found in South Africa and to learn about its history and meaning.

Imagine Visionary Animals is supported by The Icelandic Visual Arts Council